RailTEC Echoes Save Solari Call

by Thomas MacMillan | December 18, 2009 4:37 PM | | Comments (11)

121809_TM_0015.jpgAs the campaign to rescue Union Station’s schedule board gathers momentum, a local train and bike advocacy group has added its support.

Rail*Trains*Ecology*Cycling (RailTEC) — a local advocacy group on train, bike, and environmental issues — is working to preserve the Solari board at the train station. That was the word from Richard Stowe (pictured), the head of RailTEC, who called a meeting below the sign on Friday afternoon.

RailTEC’s Solari-saving efforts join an outpouring of opposition to recently revealed state Department of Transportation (DOT) plans. The plans call for the board to be removed.

The decades-old sign — made by the Italian Solar Di Udine SPA company — would be replaced by two large LED screens as part of a $5 million improvement project for the station. Kevin Nursick, spokesman for the State DOT, has said that the Solari board is not large enough, not flexible enough, and does not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Nursick has also said that the board is difficult and expensive to maintain.

RailTEC is pushing the state for more answers.

Just before the 1 p.m meeting on Friday, Stowe reached out to Nursick by telephone. He asked the DOT spokesman for a breakdown of the cost of individual components of the multi-million dollar improvement plan. He wanted to know the relative energy and maintenance cost differences of the new and old boards.

Reached later by email, Nursick said that the Solari board costs $971 per month to maintain. “Also, we do not expect any real maintenance costs with the 2 new LED panels. The technology is very reliable, and there are no moving parts. Thus - a cost savings of $12,000 over a year,” Nursick said.

He said that the LED boards will use more energy than the Solari boards. But LED boards are still very efficient, he said, so the energy costs will still be low.

“The Department is more than willing to assume any additional electricity costs to be able to provide more information to the public, and to have that information available to all users, including those with disabilities,” Nursick said.

After his phone call with Nursick, Stowe suggested that it might be better to wait to replace the Solari board until LED technology improves and comes down in price. That would theoretically free up the $60,000 marked for the replacement LED boards for other projects.

“Sixty thousand would almost pay for sheltered bike parking at the station,” said RailTEC’s Jason Stockmann. Bicycle parking is one of RailTEC’s advocacy issues.

121809_TM_0018.jpgAaron Goode (at left in photo, with Anstress Farwell), another RailTEC member at the meeting, later agreed that adding more bike parking should take priority over replacing the Solari board.

“I think it’s great this has touched a nerve with people,” said Goode. He said that while he’s pleased that the Solari board issue has generated so much interest, it would be nice to see similar civic involvement in other train station-related issues.

Goode said the he hoped the RailTEC could “piggyback” on the Solari board movement to advocate for some of those other causes, like increased bike parking and improvements to the State Street Station.

Goode and Stowe also said that they’d like to see more opportunities for public input on DOT projects. “Let’s open up the process,” said Goode.

And while the DOT is improving the station, Goode added, “Let’s get a better soundtrack in here.”

The sound of seasonal appropriate soprano saxophone music could be heard above the flapping of the Solari board posting updated information on train delays.







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Comments

Posted by: Michelle | December 18, 2009 5:45 PM

Wow - great - an advocacy group is making the calls for everyone else...wonderful. In their devine wisdom, they've also decided they don't like the music and want it changed. Anything else? Maybe out-houses to stop those pesky water-wasting toilets? That shows just how out of touch these groups are. No wonder the economy is in the tank - people need jobs, not pointless activism. It also looks like they want their bike shelters before people with sight problems can get a sign they can see. Nice set of priorities there...

Posted by: Ben | December 18, 2009 8:02 PM

The SeeClickFix issue is here: http://www.seeclickfix.com/issues/10494

Advocates should use SeeClickFix to get existing users involved in more rail issues.

Posted by: Tim | December 18, 2009 9:27 PM

“Sixty thousand would almost pay for sheltered bike parking at the station,” Talk about a waste of money. You ride your bike in the open elements - why on Earth would you need "sheltered parking?" Absurd.

Posted by: Paul Wessel | December 18, 2009 10:02 PM

I don't think Richard Stowe should be calling the DOT guy on a cell phone while at Union Station. He should be using a clickety-clickety pay phone.

Re: Aaron Goode's comment about needing a better soundtrack - should it be Beaux-Arts style circa 1918?

Posted by: TopNotch | December 18, 2009 10:13 PM

If they get rid of this thing I will be so pissed

Posted by: L | December 18, 2009 11:08 PM

I agree that this money can be better spent elsewhere at the station to serve the needs of our community, whether it be for bike parking, recycling, auto parking... I was recently in San Francisco, and rode the 60's era trolleys, as well as the more famous, even older ones, and was thrilled at the idea of the city re-using the "outdated" cars for mass transit - a living, moving museum! I smiled the whole time. http://www.streetcar.org/ Our sign is "Historic" - not outdated. I recall a Solari being shown at Moma just a few years ago.

Posted by: john | December 19, 2009 10:40 AM

honestly, i think this advocacy seems a huge waste of time and energy, probably eventually money. how about we devote to the problems with the transportation network, not some clickety-clack board? sorry.

Posted by: DingDong | December 19, 2009 3:49 PM

John,

No one is stopping from you from devoting your time to the problems of the transportation network. By all means, please spend some time on that. It is in great need of civic activism.

Posted by: nfjanette | December 20, 2009 2:02 AM

Perhaps rather than grandstanding on their own with a small number of people, RailTEC should have reached out to other groups protesting this issue and worked together to arrange a more impressive public demonstration. From my perspective, they also risk diluting the sign protest message with the introduction of another agenda. Stay on target.

Posted by: Seattle Don | December 21, 2009 1:55 AM

The issue is very simple. The Solari board fits nicely with the historic character of the station, while a LED board will clash with it. We spent big bucks to restore this station to its original beauty and we shouldn't start going backwards now.

I'd like to see photos of the type of sign they are planning to use. Anyone know where there are any on the web?

Posted by: Lisa | January 9, 2010 12:49 PM

AN IDEA:
I saw a Solari displayed at Moma a few years ago, in a design show. Why not reinstall our Solari sign elsewhere in the station, having the letters stopped to spell out an explanation of what people are looking at, i.e., a description of the sign/designer/history. (I did ask the museum in NY if they wanted it, and they declined, saying that their one Soalri was enough...)

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